Sliding door fastener for railway cars



July 22, 1941. G. MAl DLAND 2,250,310

SLIDING DOOR FASTENER FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Dec. 21, 1939 INVEN 70/? c7950 L M001 9M) 1 M Patented July 22, I941 STTES SLIDING DOOR FAETENER FOR RAILWAY ABS Gabriel Madland, Chicago, 111., assignor to The Youngstown Steel Door Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application December 21, 1939, Serial No. 310,307

7 Claims.

While the invention has broader application, l

it has particular utility in relation to the auxiliary door of the double sliding lift door construction for automobile, furniture and the like, freight cars. When the doors of such cars have reached their closed position they are lowered under the action of gravity so as to frictionally engage a door supporting track or other means carried by the car. This lowering movement is utilized in the case of the auxiliary door to secure locking relationship between said door and the car for the purpose of preventing opening movement of the auxiliary door.

Before the auxiliary door can be opened, it must first be elevated sufficiently to release this lock- Impacts to the cars during ing relationship. switching and as a result of sudden changes in speed during transit may be of such magnitude as to produce elevation of the auxiliary doors sufficient to effect such release and undesired tend- T A further object is to provide means for a sliding lift car door locked upon lowering movement of the door by detents carried by the door and the car, which means shall cooperate with said door and said car to prevent elevation of said door and accidental disengagement of said detents.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to prevent elevation and accidental unlocking of the auxiliary door of a double sliding lift door construction for railway freight cars by means carriedby the main door of said construction disposed between members carried by said auxiliary door and said car.

Other objects of the invention will become clear as the description thereof proceeds.

In the drawing forming part of this specification:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevation of a double sliding lift door construction for railway cars showing a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevation showing the auxiliary door in closed position and the main door approaching closed position.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on line 44 of Fi 1.

The preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing is shown for purposes of illustration upon the main and auxiliary doors Ill and II. As illustrated the main door embodies a metallic panel I2 provided with horizontal corrugations l3 and vertical corrugations, one of which is illustrated at [4. The front vertical margin of the main door is reinforced by substantially channel shapedmember l5, the web It of which is riveted to the panel while the flanges I! and I8 project outwardly from the panel. The flange I8 is coped as indicated at [9 for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. The lower margin of the main door is reinforced by means of an angle member 20 which is adapted to frictionally engage the door track 2| when the door is in lowered position.

The door is of the lift type and is adapted to be elevated above the track and supported bysuitable rolling means by lift mechanism indicated in its entirety by the reference numeral 22.

The auxiliary door ll similarly embodies a metallic panel 23 having horizontal corrugations 24 and vertical corrugations, one of which is illustrated at 25. The forward vertical margin of the auxiliary door includes a substantially Z- shaped stop member 26 and a metallic post 21 which is preferably Z-shaped in section. These members cooperate to provide a recess 28 forthe reception of the front vertical margin of the main door when the doors are in closed position. A wooden nailing block 29 is seated in the metallic post 21. The lower margin of the auxiliary door is reinforced by means of an angle member 30 similar to the reinforcing angle member 20 of the main door. The auxiliary door is of the lift type, lifting mechanism therefor being shown at 22.

The track 2| as more clearly appears in Fig. 4 of the drawing is formed in sections which are spaced apart adjacent to the meeting edges of the main and auxiliary doors.. A bracket 3| is disposed in the space between the track sections. The bracket 3| comprises an intermediate portion 32 from which the wings 33-33 extend in opposite directions. Each of these wings, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, is angular in section and has a vertical leg 34 secured as by means of riveting to the vertical leg 35 of the track 2| and a horizontal leg 36 secured as by means of riveting to the horizontal leg 31 of the track 2 I. Reinforcing ribs 38 and 39 add strength to the wings 33--33.

The intermediate portion 32 of the bracket 3| is formed with an upstanding locking detent 40 adapted to cooperate with a locking detent 4| formed on a bracket 42 secured to the lower forward corner of the auxiliary door for the purpose of locking this door in lowered position.

The bracket 42, preferably a casting, is provided with a forwardly extending flange 43 which overlies and reinforces the front stop 26 secured to the auxiliary door. Additionally, the bracket 42 is provided with a depending substantially hook-shaped portion 44 which as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing lies in front of the track 2| and is extended forwardly as indicated at 45 so as to lie below the intermediate portion 32 of the bracket 3|, thereby providing a space 46 for the reception of a -finger 41 pivotally carried by a bracket 48 secured as by means of riveting to the lowerforward corner of the main door l0.

The bracket 48 which is preferably a casting comprises a vertical attaching portion 43 which carries an outwardly extending flange 50 in vertical alinement with and providing an extension of the flange l8 of the front vertical marginal reinforcing member I5. The bracket 48 includes a horizontally extending portion which extends downwardly as indicated at 52 so asto lie in front of the door track 21. The downwardly extending portion 52 is formed with a pocket defined by the upper'and lower walls 53 and 54, a side wall 55, a relatively short depending side wall 55 and a front wall 51. An opening is thus provided between the walls 54 and 56 for the extension of the finger 41 which is pivotally mounted upon a rivet 58 passing through the front wall 51. In its operative position the finger 41 is received in the space 46 between the forwardly extending portion 45 of the bracket 42 and the intermediate portion 32 of the bracket 3|.

The operation of the invention is as follows:

The auxiliary door is moved to its closed position by elevating it above the track 2| so that the door is supported upon rollers of the lift mechanism. When the auxiliary door reaches its closed position it is lowered under the 'action' of gravity so that the illustrated relationship between the detents 48 and 4| is obtained, where- 1 upon the auxiliary door is locked against opening movement. The main door ii! is then elevated and moved upon the rollers of the elevating mechanism to closed position. In the final closing movement of the main door, the finger 4'! engages a wall 59 depending from the intermediate portion of the bracket 3-1 and is guided into the space 45. In this position the finger 41 rests upon the forwardly extending portion 45 of the auxiliary door bracket 42 and below the intermediate portion 32 of the bracket 3!. The distance which the auxiliary door may move upwardly under impact to the car or from any other cause is thus materially reduced, this movement being less than the amount of overlap between the locking detents and 4|. Consequently, it is impossible for the locking detents to become accidentally disengaged and for a tendency of movement of the auxiliary door in opening direction to arise.

It will be apparent that numerous changes and modifications in the details of the invention will be clear to those skilled in the art. It is intended, therefore, that all such modifications and changes be comprehended within this invention, which is to be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a railway house car the combination with main and auxiliary longitudinally sliding doors, of an abutment on one of said doors, an abutment on said car lying above and in spaced relation to said door abutment when said one door is closed and means on the other of said doors, said means being positioned between said abutments when said doors are closed.

2. In a railway house car the combination with main and auxiliary longitudinally sliding doors, of an abutment on said car, a member secured to and depending from one of said doors, said member having a ledge below and spaced from said car abutment When said door is closed and means on the other of said doors, said means being positioned between said ledge and said car abutment when said doors are closed.

3. In a railway house car the combination with main and auxiliary longitudinally sliding doors, of an abutment on said car, a member secured to and depending from one of said doors, said member having a ledge below and spaced from said car abutment when said door is closed, a member secured to and depending from the other of said doors and a vertically swingable finger carried by said latter member, said finger being positioned between said ledge and said car abutment during the final closing movement of one of said doors.

4. In a railway house car the combination with main and auxiliary longitudinally sliding doors, of an abutment on said car, guiding means on said abutment, a member secured to and clepending from one of said doors, said member having a ledge below and spaced from said car abutment when said door is closed, a member secured to and depending from the other of said doors and a vertically swingable member carried by said latter member, said finger being guided to position between said ledge and said car abutment by said guiding means during the final closing movement of one of said doors.

5. In a railway house car the combination with the main and auxiliary sliding lift doors, of locking means on said auxiliary door, means on said car cooperating with said locking means to prevent opening movement of said auxiliary door from its closed position, an abutment on one of said doors, an abutment on said car lying above and in spaced relation to said door abutment and means on the other of said doors, said means being positioned between said abutments when said doors are closed to prevent lifting and accidental unlocking of said auxiliary door.

6. In a railway house car the combination with the main and auxiliary sliding lift doors, of a locking detent on said auxiliary door, a member carried by said car having a cooperating locking detent for preventing opening movement of said auxiliary door from its closed position, a member on said auxiliary door providing a ledge lying auxiliary door from its closed position, guiding means on said member, a member on said auxiliary door providing a ledge lying below and spaced from said car member and means on said main door carrying a vertically swingable finger, said finger being guided between said member by said guiding means in the closed position of said doors to prevent lifting of said auxiliary door and accidental disengagement of said lock- 10 ing detents.

GABRIEL MADLAND. 

